Happy Birthday, David!

Birthdays are a little different as adults. For one, most people have to work. This was the case for David yesterday, a full day of work with call, too. We were still able to celebrate, though. The kids called & sang him Happy Birthday before work (he is usually out of the house in the am before they are awake). His office staff took him out to lunch; the kids & I joined them. As soon as we finished lunch, John started asking for the cake. He was disappointed when I told him we wouldn't have it until after dinner. He asked me to "open it" when we picked it up from the bakery, but I convinced him we needed to wait for Daddy. We had a casual dinner at the house; in town family, Michael and Britton and my mom, dropped by. We topped off the evening with a wonderful cake from the Daily Deli, Chocolate Mousse Cake with Raspberry Filling. John enjoyed the chocolate but wasn't too sure about the "red stuff".

Halloween Fun

The kids have been planning their Halloween costumes for over a month. Abby actually spotted her's during our first pit stop of the big road trip. Madeline and John got their's soon after our return home. Once John saw the Darth costume, he was certain that was the one he wanted.

Madeline remembered that a local restaurant was offering free kids' meals to children in costume on Halloween; so Friday afternoon, they dressed up and all 5 of us ate subs (with drinks & chips) for $13.50 - quite a deal!

Fortunately, I took pictures before we ate because Abby decided not to wear the wig Friday night and Darth became extremely moody (Whaaaat? Shocker, I know) and refused pictures.

We made a few rounds of Trick or Treating. We visited some houses in our own neighborhood, stopped by to see Aunt Britton (Michael was coaching), then met up with a friend of the girls to finish out the night. We were quite worn out after all of the walking.

You can see a few more Halloween pics on our Shutterfly site: http://sprayblogfivepictures.shutterfly.com/

I don't have pics from the events of the 10/25 post on Shutterfly yet...hopefully, I will add those soon.

An Eventful Week

*** Note: I typed this post on Oct. 25th, but am just now adding it on the blog (0n 11/2).

Much has occurred since our last entry. Most significant was the passing of my (Amy's) grandma last Thursday, 10/16. She had been sick for some time. The funeral was very nice. Mom spoke and shared some things about Grandma, including memories gathered from her children & grandchildren. She also shared how Grandma had trusted Jesus before saying she was ready to go. Here is the link to the slideshow that was played if anyone is interested:
http://s380.photobucket.com/albums/oo246/hartsmort/Abell%20montage/?albumview=slideshow

Last Saturday before we left for the funeral in Macon, David & I took the kids to the Oconee Fall Festival. Then John went to his first UGA game.

Wednesday, the kids and I went to Atlanta with my mom who was on Fall Break. We met up with my sister, saw her house, toured Fernbank Museum, watched the planes take off and land at Peachtree Dekalb Airport, then visited longtime Orlando friends, Jeanice, Mona and Jodi Young & kids. Quite the day. As I type, I can't believe we fit all that in, but it was fun.

Last night, the kids spent the night at my mom's and David & I drove to Atlanta to see a sweet little patient of his who has been through a lot lately. Though I won't give details, feel free to pray for her body to work correctly, heal, and get stronger (God knows who she is).

Today we went to Washington Farms. We have been there several seasons, but this was the first time we did the corn maze. John thought it all looked the same, he kept saying, "We've been this way before."

Making Headlines

Yes, we made the news, the Oconee Leader, that is. The Leader covers community news for our county and arrives in about 16,000 mailboxes every Thursday. The kids were quite excited. Mrs. Carroll did a very nice write-up about the family road trip; we were surprised by the half-page coverage.

David is feeling much better this week. Saturday, we took the kids tailgating with family friends, the Stricklands. The kids had a great time playing (Uncle John, Abby's bag of beach toys you gave her came in very handy out there!) Sadly, we forgot the camera. Just imagine: adorable kids, decked out in UGA gear, running around a lot!

Tonight, Madeline begins rehearsals for the Christmas show, Christmas at the Five and Dime. She is looking forward to it; Aunt Britton will also be in the show. It will be playing at the Morton Theater Dec. 11-14.

Ahhhh...Back to "Real" Life

Yes, the "Ahhhh" is a bit facetious. We've slowly been adjusting back to life at home. David had less time to adjust since he went back to work the day after we got home. It took a few days to recuperate from the drive home and time change.

The girls did not exactly embrace their return to our more normal school schedule (i.e, minus the supercool field trips). On Monday, they complained, "All we've done today is school and chores." (It was only about 2pm!)

I had assumed once we returned from the 4,000+ mile drive, the kids wouldn't want to get in the car again for a long time. John has actually already asked to go on another "big road trip." When I asked where he wanted to go, he said, "Uhhhhh, Africa?" He did ask my mom how many hours it would take to drive from the mall to her house (it's actually about 5 minutes).

We've finished this week with a bang. David came home sick last night (vomiting, fever, the works). I entered my Nazi-ish anti-stomach bug mode and have kept everyone at a distance and Lysoled anything he's touched. So far no one else has gotten it and we are praying it stays that way.

One funny story to end this post. As I was getting John ready for his bath Wednesday, he put his hands on his cheeks (not the ones on his face) and, serious as can be, asked, "Mommy, what are these for?" I busted out laughing before saying, "I'm not sure exactly, but maybe one reason God made them was to protect kids when they fall."

The picture: John loves to make his hair "crazy" when he gets out of the bath.

New Pictures are Up

I finally was able to add more pictures of the trip: Grand Canyon, Phoenix, Trip Home (mainly the stop in Elk City, OK). I also added a guestbook function - scroll to the bottom of the page.

Thanks for looking. I plan to still post on the blog, probably more weekly than daily. I have also considered a post on particulars we learned in planning & taking the trip b/c we have had some people ask. Though we certainly aren't experts, we're happy to share.

http://sprayblogfivepictures.shutterfly.com/

We are Home!

After driving 4, 677 miles and crossing state lines 16 times, we made it back home at 3:30 am Tuesday (amazingly, earlier than we had planned). The kids were amazing on the trip back. We couldn't believe what troopers they were after all the days away and hours in the car.

In the quiet of the wee hours, David and I had time to reflect on the trip, what we saw, did, experienced. It was all so much better than we expected, especially me. I almost missed it because I thought the idea was so crazy and we wouldn't be able to pull it off. I am thankful my husband was patient (as well as persistent) as I took time to "get on board".

We appreciate all of the prayers, before we left and while we were gone. They were obvious. It was good to experience family without all the craziness of everyday life. Much more enjoyable than I thought 259 hours together in 11 days would be!

Of course, we were awed by the variety and majesty we saw of God's creation. We spoke of the truth in the verses:

Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."

Luke 19:40 "And He answered and said, "I tell you, if these become silent, 'the stones will cry out!' "

There are still pictures I plan to post, but my computer has been having "issues" so it is taking a bit longer than planned. Hopefully it won't take too much longer. Check back soon. I also hope to have a guest book function on here soon and we'd love to have you sign it.

Overnight in Oklahoma

A quick post to say we have made it to Oklahoma City. We left Phoenix last night (Saturday) and had a tough time getting out of the city because of road construction, not game traffic. For some reason, they thought this was a good weekend to close down parts of 2 of their main highways!

David & I took turns driving & napping through the night and this morning. We had to make an unexpected pit stop about 5:30 am. Apparently John got disoriented and went tee-tee in his seat. About an hour long stop made short, we ended up replacing his seat & hit the road again. WE couldn't find a replacement cover and have NO room for an extra seat in the car right now.

The kids did GREAT today. Upon our arrival here we had driven about 1,000 miles since last night. We made some stops today for meals and gas and a special stop to play in a park and walk around part of Elk City, OK.

We hope to make it home tomorrow night or early in the day Tuesday.

I'll post more pictures once we get home. For now, I must sleep!

Days 8, 9, and 10 Fun in Phoenix and Gooooooo DAWGS!

Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, they all seem connected.

Thursday, while David enjoyed a day of golf with some Athens buddies, the kids & I played at the hotel pool. Thursday night, we all went to the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game. The kids were very confused when we told them we were cheering for Arizona at the game. "Why aren't we cheering for Georgia?" they asked. FYI, the "Tongue" picture of John for this post is his proud display of his multi-colored cotton candy tongue. (It is possible the pictures may not be up yet, it has been hit or miss in getting the connection to stay clear long enough).


Friday morning, the kids were tired out and slept late. David decided against waking them too early and as a result, he didn't make his tee time. We had been given passes to the Phoenix Zoo from a wonderful Athens transplant family here, the Wootens. Most of the animals were in hiding (likely from the 100+ degree heat, no doubt!)


We attempted to see the football team arrive at the airport. We did see them, but from a distance because their charter buses met them on the tarmac. The kids were pretty unphased by that b/c they didn't really know what to expect and were excited to seeing the planes anyway.


Tonight we had dinner at a fantastic restaurant, Rustlers Rooste. The food was great and the kids loved the entertainment. There was a live band, a real tin slide (even adults went down), and an expert ballon-maker. The kids were so impressed they asked if we could go back Saturday (today) before leaving town or open one in Athens.


We have received many comments from UGA fans who have spotted our license plate. We had one set of fans stop us at lunch to find out about our trip. Last night, we saw our first GA plate. We waited for them to get out of the car and said, "We were wondering if anyone else was as crazy as us to drive here." Funny thing was, the husband had driven from Elijay, GA, but his wife flew!

Today we are tailgating with some Athens friends (Jeff Carter, Chris Strickland, Mike Lavender, Toby Smith, Brian Kimsey, Steven Fuller, Chris Griner). The kids are enjoying the pool at the rental house right now. Wives at home, the guys seem to have kept the house here nice and neat (they paid me $100 to pass that along).

The kids are going to play with friends while David & I are at the game. Afterwards, we start our trek home. We hope to drive through tonight, getting at least 1/3 of the 1900 miles home. I'm not sure if I will be posting again before we get home.

Thanks for following our story. We hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have! I'm sure I will post once we get home to let you know we made it back (hopefully before David has to be at work Wednesday!)

Day 7 - The Glorious Grand Canyon

Last night was the Preview; today, we really got to take in the Grand Canyon. It is so amazing how every viewpoint showcased different colors, features, textures. We saw how it looked while the sky was sunny, cloudy, rainy, and sunny again.

The kids were excited to earn their second Junior Ranger Badge. John even took off his handcuffs, though his Tomahawk seemed to follow us everywhere!

I love that the kids did not tire of the views. It was difficult to relax however with Abby and John around the extreme dropoffs (Don't worry, Grandma, we kept a tight hold on them and they weren't that close). Ranger Randy very nonchalantly said, "We've only lost 4 people this year to falls. When you take into account that we have 4 1/2 million visitors, that's pretty good."

It really is hard to put the Grand Canyon into words and our pictures probably won't do it justice. I hope each of you get to see it one day if you have not already.

We arrived in Phoenix-Scottsdale-Tempe tonight around 10:30 pm. We have logged over 2300 miles and who knows how many hours in the car. Though we have loved everyone one of our stops and side-trips along the way, we are looking forward to staying in the same room for 3 nights.

Day 6 - An Awesome Intro to Arizona

Our first day in Arizona was so exciting. We were in our 9th state of the trip and the kids awoke in a Wigwam (or Cozy Cone, for the Cars fans). They had been looking forward to the Teepee Motel for weeks. They had fun walking around the parking lot, looking at the antique automobiles and naming which Cars character they resembled.

We backtracked about 20 miles down I-40 to the Petrified National Forest (which includes the Painted Desert) because we had not arrived in Arizona Monday until after dark. The extra miles were absolutely worth it. The landscapes were incredible. We spent several hours exploring and the kids each completed a National Parks Junior Ranger workbook and activites so they could earn a Junior Ranger Badge. They were so proud. When they presented their work to the Ranger, they were complimented and seriously took the Junior Range oath. Maybe I should clarify that the girls were serious.

John was wearing his prized Five & Dime Store handcuffs when he met the Ranger. The Ranger said, "Well, this is the first time I have had a Junior Ranger in handcuffs."

Guided by our three Rangers, we drove toward Grand Canyon National Park. We arrived just as the sun was setting. We even sighted an elk just after entering the gate. We briefly previewed the Canyon before check-in and dinner. The views were truly breath-taking.

When we were at the Painted Desert, we said it was hard to imagine anything more beautiful. In the past few days, David and I have had many conversations about the variety and majesty of God's Creation that we have been able to witness on this trip. What a privilege.

Days 4 and 5 – New Experiences in New Mexico

Pleasantly full from the Midpoint Café, we hopped in the car and headed into New Mexico. We had decided to take a detour north to Santa Fe. It was wonderful. We stayed at the quaint Santa Fe Motel and Inn. It would have been welcomed anyway, but after the Heartbreak, it was fantastic. The décor was authentic, breakfast delicious, and atmosphere great. John, however, was obviously taken aback by the architecture. When we walked into the walled adobe courtyard, he stated, “What is this? A jail or something?” Anyone who knows John will understand when I add that anything he says is usually very LOUD.

Monday, we explored the Plaza area. There was too much to see in too little time. The girls, myself included, particularly enjoyed perusing the crafts in the Native American market area. John, on the other hand, was content at the Santa Fe Five and Dime where he found his treasured gun, handcuffs, and bow and arrows. You will see that he even posed with his prized new possessions in one our pictures.

Madeline was particularly interested in the Mysterious Staircase at the Loretto Chapel. It is an incredible wooden spiral staircase built without nails and built by an unidentified carpenter.

From Santa Fe, we headed Southwest to Acoma Pueblo, or Sky City, a Native American settlement built on top of a mesa in or before the 12th century. There are still families living up there (still without electricity and running water). The tour was a very interesting and unique experience.

Before leaving New Mexico, we saw a beautiful sunset, then stopped in the El Rancho Hotel for dinner. Back in the car, it was onward to Arizona. Again, the kids would awake in a new state.

Day 4 - TALES of TEXAS

This post backtracks to give some details of our day in Texas.

The kids woke up Sunday am in Shamrock, Texas. Before we left town, we had to visit the U-Drop-Inn which was the inspiration for one of the buildings in Disney’s Cars movie. The kids debated whose building it was, Flo or Ramone. In the end, they decided it looked like Ramone’s, but had a gas pump like Flo. Our apologies to those who aren’t Cars fans, but this was what “introduced” our kids to the famous Route 66. David requested we stop by an off-the-wall museum. Being Sunday am, it was closed, but he was content to see the outside & get a picture (I’ll let you see the picture.)

Though we did not eat at the Texan Restaurant, we stopped just for the photo opportunities. The giant cowboy boot was a hit with the kids.

Two of our favorite Texas field trips were the Cadillac Ranch, where 10 Cadillacs are half-buried in the ground, and the Midpoint Café in Adrian. Adrian, TX marks the middle of Route 66 and the Midpoint is rumored to have the best pie in the country. David & I decided the burgers are also the best. The five of us split 3 desserts, chocolate chip pie, lemon meringue, and triple berry cobbler. How were they? We hope to make it back by on our way home; enough said!

http://sprayblogfivepictures.shutterfly.com/

Day 1 and 2 Pics are Posted

See the Shutterfly site to see a selection of pics from the first 2 days of our journey. I hope to have more posted soon.

http://sprayblogfivepictures.shutterfly.com/

We've Made a Connection!

Sorry we have not been able to post until now. We couldn't get internet at our hotel in Memphis Friday night, and I don't even think the TOWN we stayed in last night in Texas had internet! I've published some posts with a few pics, but have not updated the shutterfly photo album yet.

We have driven over 1500 miles and are in Santa Fe, NM now. Yesterday was our LONG driving day; we covered 700+ miles (from Memphis, TN to Shamrock, TX). The kids did great, beyond our expectations (to be honest, mine were pretty low!) We drove through a LOT of Ike rain in Arkansas and Oklahoma, but were determined to get to TX because we wanted to avoid Ike's visit to AR & OK.

We were able to see some fun Route 66 landmarks today, I'll have to tell you about it later, because I have 4 hungry people waiting on me!

Graceland

We made a stop at Graceland. Madeline was looking forward to “Elvis’s Mansion” as she called it. It was interesting and we are glad we did the tour. I don’t think we will be joining the annual pilgrimage, though. We did meet one such Elvis fan. I spoke with her briefly on the tour bus. She saw us later and stopped us to excitedly share some “news” she learned about the upstairs rooms of the home which are not part of the tour.
John was particularly interested in the car collection. The kids were able to tour their first airplane. We tried to tell them not to expect other planes to be the same. They don’t all have conference tables, sofas, nice bathrooms and a queen-sized bed. I did learn an interesting thing about Elvis that we share in common….a love for Diet Dr. Pepper.

Huntsville to Heartbreak

We spent our first night in Huntsville and visited the U.S. Space and Rocket Center today. The kids were amazed by the rockets. David, Madeline, Abby, and I tried out the rock wall. It was fun and good exercise. You will not see photo evidence of me on the rock wall because, at the moment, I am controlling what pictures are posted on here. John’s favorite exhibits were the robot controlled video camera and the Mars Ride.

The kids did great on the Huntsville to Memphis Drive today, though John did alternate between, “When will we be in Tennessee?” and “I want to go to our home.” Yeah, Buddy, stick with the Tennessee train of thought on that one!

One of David’s main requests was BBQ in Memphis. We had a good meal at Rendezvous Ribs in Downtown tonight. After dinner, the highlight for the kids was a horse drawn carriage ride around town. For some reason, I decided to ask why all the drivers had a dog on the front seat with them. “It began for protection” she said as her pit bull growled at a passerby. She added us now “it is just a tradition.” Sure….

The Heartbreak Hotel leaves a little something to be desired, though there are a lot of people here. The kids were fascinated by the heart-shaped pool (complete with the jagged tile pattern to complete the “break”).
John made his re-entrance this evening by falling in a large mud puddle in the parking lot, becoming incredibly freaked out by the mud, and loudly proclaiming, “I’m dirty! I’m slimy!” as we walked in.
We are heading to Graceland in the morning. Here are some of the questions the kids have asked about it:
Kids: “Does Elvis still live there?”
Us: “No”
Kids: “Did he die there?” “How did he die?”
David: “Well, he didn’t take very good care of his body” Me: “Look, there’s a rocket”

Here We Go!

It should not surprise us that we would incur some obstacles while preparing to leave town. Wednesday, the day before we left, Abby woke up at 6:30 am with a sore throat. Twenty minutes later, she started vomiting. By the time we saw a doctor at the walk-in clinic, she had thrown-up 6 times. Abby & I spent over 2 hours there and she was treated for strep throat. Thankfully, David’s mom was in town to help out and took care of Madeline & John during all of that (Thanks again, Beverly!). My cell phone also went on the fritz and I had to replace it that morning. I was really needing 3 extra hours of “TO Dos”!
Despite the setbacks, we made it out of town as planned Thursday afternoon….just a little bit later than our goal, but it was good for us!

WE HAD DRIVEN ONE MILE BEFORE JOHN ASKED, “How far is it to Arizona?”

You Wanna Bet?

Don't worry, we're not talking money here. We just thought it would be fun for people to make their predictions / best guesses about the upcoming road trip. For example, Tim Waters said he gives us until Birmingham (or was it Atlanta?) before we turn around! That's okay, it may actually help give David's & my competitive spirits the extra push when the going gets tough (or loud, or cranky & whiny).

So feel free to share, through the "Comments" in this post, your best guess on:
How long before the first Pit Stop?
What will the Trip-O-Meter read when we pull back in the driveway?
How many "Are we there yets?" Will we hear? Actually, scratch that one, we'll probably lose track!
Feel free to add another one.

One other note, we would LOVE and APPRECIATE your prayers for our family as we travel. We are looking forward to seeing God's awesome Creation and sharing it with you.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

We were but unfortunately, we couldn't make it to the stadium for the game because of David's work schedule. The kids were still excited to sport their Georgia threads at home. They even practiced wrestling and tackling each other....they didn't call it that, but it certainly looked like it. John is still a little mixed up because of the Olympics. When we turned on football, he asked, "Which team is the United States?"

Here are a few pics: http://sprayblogfivepictures.shutterfly.com/

FRIPP TRIP

Despite the threats and weather effects (i.e, LOTS of rain & wind) from Tropical Storm Fay, we had a good weekend. Beverly made & brought a cake to celebrate Abby's birthday with the family.

Friday night, David took the kids out in the golf cart while we worked on dinner, Low Country Boil. The electric battery meter proved to be very unreliable and the cart stopped 1-2 miles away from the house. This was one of the rare instances when David did not have his cell phone. Michael & Britton and me took turns driving around looking for them. As their time MIA approached TWO HOURS, John and Christy left to look for them also & spotted them about a block away. David said the kids were troopers on the hike back. Thankfully the battery had re-charged when we retrieved the cart later that night...almost enough to make it back to the house. David pulled a Fred Flintstone to bring it down the home stretch.

Saturday, we were very thankful the weather cleared enough to allow us 4 hours on the beach.

One major highlight was the deer which, as "big" John stated, were very "domesticized". They posed for pictures and seemed to expect food payment in return. We found out they liked crackers, lettuce, bananas, and even banana peel.

If you look at the Fripp pictures, Abby took the one of the deer....and she did NOT use zoom.

http://sprayblogfivepictures.shutterfly.com/

Summer Highlights

Here are some of our highlights this summer. As you will see, we've been quite busy! We are looking forward to ending our official summer with a weekend trip to Fripp Island with David's family.

I'm posting a link with some summer pictures. It will take you to a Shutterfly site....the only thing I have on there is the pics. Please post any comments here as I won't check there
regularly.

OUR SUMMER IN A NUTSHELL
Camp Hope - David & I worked, Madeline was a camper & Abby and John had a blast with the other workers' kids.

Swimming Lessons - Abby was one of the stars of her class and John finally recovered from being "allergic" to the water in the big pool (yes, those were his words).

Lake Rabun - Amy's Uncle David is so gracious to share that beautiful place with everyone. Madeline took to the knee board this year.

Whirlwind trip to Orlando - Amy, her mom, Phyllis, and the kids made a quick trip to Orlando to catch up with some friends and visit Sea World. We loved all of the visits!

Hilton Head - David met us in Hilton Head. The kids had a great time at the beach playing with aunts, uncles, and cousins. John especially loved the nighttime ghost crab hunt.

My First Blog

Well, this is it. My attempt to become officially techno savvy now that I have learned to navigate your basic email and facebook.....if only I could remember all those passwords!The goal is to post at least weekly, but I can't make any promises. We hope to be able to blog our cross-country road trip.For now, I'll try to get some summer pictures & highlights on here.